Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Your Customer is Your Priority:

Your business is only as strong as your consumer allows it to be. Today, most companies use the term customer centricity often, but saying it is the easy part. Taking the concept of what it means and applying it to your business, day in and day out, that part can be difficult. Stores.org states, “Properly executed, customer-centric strategies can transform service into engagement, information into excitement, satisfaction into inspiration and otherwise passive shoppers into ambassadors for your brand.” Sometimes a business will focus so much on a product, that they tend to lose sight of what’s really important, the consumer.

One of the easiest and most effective ways to remain in constant contact with a customer is through technology. Twitter, Facebook, any type of social media, can be used for informing a customer, and also for feedback. Sometimes it’s as simple as clicking the word ‘like’. And with so many different forms of communication you can tailor it to each one of your client’s needs.

The foundation for building and maintaining excellent customer service comes from within a company. Setting the precedent for your employees not only in the beginning, but also daily will help ensure the best quality service for your clients. Bizcommunity.com reports, “Research has shown on numerous occasions that companies with effective face-to-face communication (defined as communication sessions with leaders who are trained in leadership communication skills) are up to twice as likely to be more engaged and deliver better customer service, both internally and externally.” The more internal communication, and education, a company has the better.

Many companies have the resources to carry out these tasks, just not the strategies to execute them. The business world is constantly evolving so it’s up to the leaders of the company to bridge the communication gap between the future of their business and their employees.